Medical Malpractice

Under California law, a health care provider (doctor, nurse, chiropractor, etc.) is negligent if he/she fails to use the level of skill, knowledge, and care in diagnosis and treatment that other reasonably careful medical professionals would use in the same or similar circumstances. This level of skill, knowledge, and care is sometimes referred to as ''the standard of care.'' In general, if a suit goes to trial, a judge or jury must determine the level of skill, knowledge, and care that other reasonably careful health care professionals would use in the same or similar circumstances, based only on the testimony of the expert witnesses.

Some examples of medical neglect include the following:
- Botched surgery
- Failing to diagnose a serious medical condition
- Failing to appropriately treat a serious condition
- Neglecting to refer a patient to a specialist

Cases of medical neglect here in California are governed by the rules of the Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act (MICRA) which has been the law for more than 30 years. In general, MICRA sets certain limitations on the nature and amount of damages that can be recovered from a health care provider. Mr. Ralph has litigated these complex cases for his entire career and is therefore very familiar with the law in this area.

If you believe you or a loved one was injured or killed because of a health care provider's negligence, please call Mr. Ralph for a free consultation.

If you need any other services relating to a personal injury attorney in Orange County, please look over our areas of practice pages and then call the office for a free consultation.